Interlude

[Cmdr Ba'alyo 0]

Ba'alyo leaned both elbows against the small table in his room, running his hands back and through his white mane of hair. He let the smell of the strong Klingon concoction waft up through his nostrils, bringing him to an increased alertness. It was hot. It was strong. It was uber-coffee.

 

He'd managed to take what his Academy roommate had called a "power nap" during the few hours they'd been towing the starship Cepheus back to the Elasian side of the asteroid field. But it was time to get back to work.

 

He shook his head, as if to physically cast off the drowsiness. He wanted to think clearly, even if the motivations for these border tensions was anything but clear. The willingness of the Troyians to take on a Federation starship, even at odds of seven to one, seemed to confirm there were other forces - external influences - at work. Zareh had been pursuing what he believed was a cloaked Romulan ship, and they'd already run into a disabled Klingon ship. The area was seething with intrigue. But who was pulling the strings?

 

And what should Challenger's next step be?

 

They'd been bounced between the two sides, but in the end, it had been necessary to use deadly force to fend off the Troyians. Diplomatic neutrality didn't mean not shooting back when attacked. At least, he hoped it didn't.

 

Now they drifted in Elasian space, waiting. The regent had pulled back further into his own space. The Troyians had retreated toward the captured Elasian station inside the asteroid field. A subspace minefield surrounded that. There might be a Romulan ship in there, which would end all pretense of Federation neutrality, but they had little proof.

 

Should the ship withdraw from the area as a disinterested third-party, even through they'd been attacked? Had this matter fallen to the diplomats? Or would the captain decide the Romulan possibility demanded that Challenger move into that minefield?

 

Ba'alyo slid his hand around the hefty mug, lifted it, and poured the near-scalding contents into his mouth. With a satisfying breath, he set it down, got to his feet and headed out of his cabin.